AWS Elemental

Elemental Technologies

Company type	Private (until acquisition)
Industry	Software, Video technology
Founded	2006 (2006)
Founder	Sam Blackman, Jesse Rosenzweig, Brian Lewis
Defunct	2015 (2015)
Fate	Acquired by Amazon Web Services
Headquarters	Portland , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Sam Blackman (CEO), Jesse Rosenzweig (CTO)
Products	Video software technologies including Elemental Live, Elemental Server, Elemental Delta, Elemental Cloud, Statmux, Conductor, Badaboom
Parent	Amazon Web Services (since 2015)

Elemental was a software firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon, operating from 2006 until 2015. The company was established by engineers Sam Blackman (serving as CEO), Jesse Rosenzweig (CTO), and Brian Lewis, all of whom previously worked at Pixelworks. Elemental specialized in video software technologies. In 2015, it was acquired by Amazon and integrated into the Amazon Web Services division.

History

By July 2012, Elemental’s technology facilitated streaming coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics for prominent broadcasters such as the BBC, Eurosport, and Terra Networks. By September 2013, Elemental had earned the #24 spot on the Silicon Forest list of the top 25 technology companies, reflecting its significant regional presence.

In October 2013, Elemental supported live 4K HEVC streaming of the Osaka Marathon through a system implemented by Japanese telecom provider K-Opticom.

In April 2017, following its acquisition, the company transitioned from Elemental Technologies to AWS Elemental to better align with its parent company’s global branding and organizational framework.

Alleged security concerns

During 2015 security evaluations preceding Amazon’s acquisition, allegations emerged suggesting that Elemental servers contained chips manufactured by Chinese subcontractors that could provide unauthorized backdoor access. A U.S. government inquiry associated these components with a unit of the People’s Liberation Army. Nevertheless, all parties involved refuted these accusations, no such hardware was discovered, and the acquisition moved forward without complications.

Funding

Elemental obtained initial funding of $1.05 million in 2007 from three angel investment groups: Seattle’s Alliance of Angels, the Oregon Angel Fund, and the Bend Venture Conference.

In July 2008, it completed its first venture capital financing round, securing $7.1 million from General Catalyst Partners based in Boston and Voyager Capital from Seattle.

The company formed a partnership in 2009 with In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s investment arm. Subsequently, Elemental’s servers were deployed in secure environments by agencies including the United States Department of Defense, United States Navy, NASA, United States Congress, and the Department of Homeland Security.

In July 2010, Elemental raised $7.5 million in a Series B funding round led by Steamboat Ventures, Disney’s venture capital affiliate, together with General Catalyst and Voyager Capital.

A Series C round in May 2012 brought in $13 million from investors including Norwest Venture Partners.

In December 2014, broadcasters Telstra and Sky led a $14.5 million Series D funding round.

Finally, in September 2015, Elemental was acquired by Amazon Web Services for an estimated $350 million.

AWS Media Services

In November 2017, Amazon Web Services introduced AWS Media Services, a collection of five cloud-native video solutions created to assist video providers in expanding their capabilities.

The suite comprises:

AWS Elemental MediaConvert, which offers file-based video transcoding services.

AWS Elemental MediaLive, designed for live video encoding suitable for television and connected devices.

AWS Elemental MediaPackage, responsible for securing and packaging live video streams.

AWS Elemental MediaStore, providing storage optimized specifically for media content.

AWS Elemental MediaTailor, enabling personalized ad insertion within streaming videos.

AWS Elemental MediaConnect, facilitating contribution and distribution of transport stream video.

Elemental Live

Unveiled in April 2010, Elemental Live is a professional-grade video processing platform designed to provide real-time encoding for live streaming across devices such as smartphones, tablets, web browsers, and HDTVs. Its initial presentation at NAB Las Vegas featured a live demonstration of simultaneous streaming to multiple platforms, highlighting the company's pioneering role in live video technology.

Elemental Server

Elemental Server, introduced in November 2009, was the industry's first video server appliance utilizing graphics processing units (GPUs) for on-demand video transcoding. Delivering performance comparable to seven dual quad-core CPU servers, it offered notable improvements in conversion speed, energy efficiency, physical footprint, and cost—reportedly less than half the price of conventional CPU-based servers. With unit prices reaching up to $100,000, Elemental Servers generated profit margins as high as 70%, reflecting strong financial results and a competitive edge within the video processing market.

Elemental Delta

Elemental Delta serves as a video delivery solution that enhances revenue generation, management, and distribution of multiscreen video content over IP infrastructures. It was introduced at IBC 2014 and earned the IABM Design and Innovation award for excellence in Playout and Delivery Systems.

Elemental Cloud

Elemental Cloud provides scalable transcoding capabilities within a cloud environment by leveraging clustered GPU technology to support extensive video processing demands.

Elemental Statmux

Elemental Statmux is a software-driven statistical multiplexer that optimizes pay TV content transmission by dynamically adjusting bit allocation among multiple video encoders and merging their outputs into a unified transport stream.

Elemental Conductor

Elemental Conductor is a scalable orchestration platform designed to manage two or more Elemental video processing units simultaneously, facilitating streamlined operational oversight.

Badaboom

Released on October 23, 2008, Badaboom was a consumer-focused media converter developed through collaboration with NVIDIA Corporation. Utilizing Elemental's video engine, it converted various formats into H.264 compatible with devices such as iPod, iPhone, and Sony PSP. The final version was Badaboom 2.0, with official support concluding in April 2013.

Awards

• 2023 NAB Best of Show – Streaming solutions recognized for MediaConnect Gateway
• 2017 NAB Best of Show – Honored by NewBay Media for advancements in 4K video processing
• 2016 EY Entrepreneur of the Year – Sam Blackman awarded in Pacific Northwest technology category
• 2015 TVB Awards – Winner for Multiplatform Production and Delivery
• 2014 IABM Design and Innovation – Awarded Best Playout and Delivery System
• 2013 Cable & Satellite International – Best Digital Video Processing accolade
• 2013 ConnectedWorld.TV Awards – Recognized for Best Delivery Technology
• 2013 Portland Business Journal – Ranked No. 6 among Fastest Growing Companies
• 2013 Oregon Technology Awards – Named Technology Growth Company of the Year
• 2012 Forbes America’s 100 Most Promising Companies – Placed No. 23
• 2012 Inc. 500 – Ranked No. 52 among Fastest Growing Private Companies
• 2011 Forbes America’s 100 Most Promising Companies – Positioned No. 54
• 2011 Streaming Media Editors' Pick – Awarded to Elemental Live
• 2010 TV Technology Mario Award – Received by Elemental Live